


Monster Rising

by WandererofStars



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, F/F, F/M, Gen, Horror, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-04 19:39:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14600277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandererofStars/pseuds/WandererofStars
Summary: It's the last year at Spooky High School and exams are nearly over. After a prank goes horribly wrong,  the school is threatened by a unstoppable horror unleashed on its grounds. The only surviving monsters must now reluctantly meet with the only human capable of helping them end the threat...if they can find him before his nemesis finds him first.[This story is currently on HIATUS]





	1. End of Term

**Author's Note:**

> \- The four playable characters -Oz, Amira, Brian and Vicky - will also feature in the story with their respective romances.  
> \- This is more of a feverish dream born out of playing Monster Prom and the recently released Chapter 4 of Bendy. I've four chapters plotted so far and have two possible endings in mind.  
> \- The story won't focus solely on the horror part. There will be moments of comedy, romance, fucking, brawling - I mean, c'mon, I'm writing about a bunch of teenage monsters whose blood veins are pumped full of hormones. Wild shit's bound to happen.  
> \- English isn't my first language, but hey, that never stopped me from writing before. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) If you find it difficult to keep reading this work because of too many grammar mistakes or inaccurate vocabulary, no problem. I'll appreciate you stopping by, anyway.

 

 

 

It had been a long day and an even longer night, but not for the wrong reasons. Or better yet, for all the wrong reasons.

Vera woke up in the arms of the man with whom she had spent a fabulous night of passionate love making. She had only met him two nights ago, but he looked so fuckable with his gorgeous body and handsome complexion that she couldn't deny herself the pleasure of ravishing that body in her king-sized bed.

She slithered away to avoid waking him up and placed an envelope with five hundred monster dollars in his bedside table. The alarm clock showed it was six in the morning. Good. She would have time to shower and start the day in no rush.

She exited the room and gave instructions to her servant.

'Wake him up, will you? If he isn't gone after I'm done showering, open up a portal in the basement and teleport him out of here.'

The dwarf bowed silently and proceeded to follow his orders. She hoped he wouldn't set her bed sheets accidentally on fire again. Dwarves weren't exactly pros at magic. She made a detour to the living room and reached inside her bag for her tablet to check her schedule for the day.

'Better get ready. Got a busy day ahead of me. Ugh, why do I have to take Math tests? I already run one of the most important underground market exchanges. It's not like I don't deal with numbers every single day.'

As she pondered on the futility of school life – when you were a succesful multimillionaire gorgon in business, that is - , she went to the bathroom and let her robes drop to the floor. Her snakes were so tired their eyes were all puffy and they gave a collective yawn.

'Time to clean you up good.' she told the snakes. 'I want you sparkling this morning. I'll have a very important meeting tonight and I need to make a killer deal.'

She walked to the shower and let the warm water cleanse her body from the raw smell of last night's intense love making. Vera then grabbed a sponge and poured some shower gel on it, proceeding to rub herself clean. She poured more gel onto it and proceeded to clean her hair. The snakes purred as she caressed each of them with the sponge. They loved morning showers. It helped them wake up properly.

She finished her bath and went to seat on her large sofa. Her dwarf butler brought her the usual breakfast. As she performed her morning ritual, her iPhone had an incoming call. The face of a certain four-hundred year old vampire with a look of pure disdain on his face and wearing a tight stylish bun appeared on the screen. She picked it up.

'So? How did it go last night with Frankenstein's bride?'

Liam didn't respond immediately. He hated that nickname. As he had already told Vera a million times.

'Honestly, Vera, must you? Juvenile provocations are so lame.'

She didn't reply and let him go on.

'It turns out Vicky is also a connoisseur of fine art. She immediately recognised Abramovic's most famous art piece. And to my surprise, her mother was a long-term acquaitance of the gallery's owner. He greeted Vicky as if she were like his daughter.'

'Really?' -asked Vera, taking a bite of her gruyère croissant. Liam could tell she was not interested in the details about the art exhibition. Only if he and Vicky had fucked or not.

'You've placed bets on how our evening would end, didn't you?' -he asked, dryly.

'Me? Of course not.' - she said.

Liam grunted. He hated when she was being sarcastic. Or rather, he pretended to. Vera's own unique twisted character was the main reason why he enjoyed her company. Except when she was doing immoral stuff, like preventing people's souls of reaching the afterlife to turn a profit at the cost of their eternal suffering. 

'So? Did you two fuck or not?' - she insisted.

'I'm not answering that.' -he replied, adamant.

'Fine. I'll ask Vicky all about it later today.'

'What? I can't believe you've placed bets on whether I- gods, Vera. Leave my sex life out of your illegal affairs!'

'If you knew how many people were in the bet and the total amount they've bet on you getting laid, you'd say otherwise. What if I let you in next time? Perhaps even rig the bets to your favor?'

Liam merely let out a long bored sigh. Who did she think he was, a novice? If there was one thing Liam did in his first quarter of life it was to explore all sorts of illegal activities. He did so out of pure amusement. He was young, carefree and naturally curious. **Very** curious. Vera's illegal businesses were nothing more than child's play to him. He had been there, done that and signed the shirt.

'I can tell you're not interested. Well then, you know what they say: time is money, so don't waste mine. Why did you call me?'

'Are you going to attend tonight's musical presentation at the auditorium?'

'Why?' -she asked as she got up and entered her closet.

'Mr Huggins wants us to perform a contemporary version of The Nightmare Before Christmas.'

Vera almost dropped her phone.

'Are you serious? That movie is such a joke. Everyone knows skeletons don't talk, much less do anything. It's as if people didn't know how monsters are.'

'If by people you mean “humans”, indeed they don't. Why would they? They think they are the only intelligent species on the planet...which actually says a lot about their intelligence.' he remarked. 'Anyway, I read the script and it's so bad Scott was thrilled with it. I tried getting Damien to come with me and demand Mr Huggins replace it with my own improved version of the script, but he was so pissed at how bad the original script was he just burned every copy of it and threatened to burn me alive if I ever mentioned the play again.'

Vera replied with 'Uhum' and continued to search her closet for the perfect attire for that evening.

'Do you think my skin colour matches red?'

As usual, Liam's rant was ignored. He was already annoyed at how people never paid any attention when he spoke. Now he was being asked to give fashion tips? As if he were every woman's best gay friend. He just hated how he made so much effort to not fit into ANY stereotype only for people to confuse his natural superior sense of style with the traditional “elegant-gay-knowledgeable-about-fashion” stereotype.

'What do I look like, Christian Dior? Ask Miranda. She's the one interested in fashion.' - he replied, annoyed.

'But you've got impeccable taste.' -she said, trying not to laugh.

That had done the trick. If there was one vulnerability she always explored on Liam, it was his personal taste. He just loved to criticise people's preferences and suggest “better” ones. Truth be told, he _did_ have excellent taste in clothes. The best deal of her life was closed in a Versace of Liam's choice.

'I can't believe you'd even ask me if you should wear red. Pleased don't tell me you have a red dress in your closet.' - he begged.

'I was just teasing you.' -she replied.

'Try a Gucci with the Channel boots. The only combination that's never out of fashion.' -he said, as if this was the only logical choice.

'I knew you wouldn't disappoint.' -she smiled.

* * *

 

**Later that day...**

 

The students were queued outside their respective classrooms. Exams would take place soon. Miranda and Polly were chatting away with Oz, who seemed to have had a fun weekend. He, Damien and Scott went to the movies to watch Infinity War. Damien was so hyped throughout the movie people kept telling him to shut up. They thought he would get mad at them and burn the entire cinema, but the movie was so good he just ignored the rowdy crowd and the copious amounts of popcorn, lollipops and soda cups they kept throwing at him.

'I've been meaning to watch that one for days!' - Miranda exclaimed.

'Why don't you come with me and Brian next time?' - Oz winked at her, throwing a glance at his friend. The zombie didn't reply, though. He was concentrated on his smartphone, frowning at something.

'Uh, Brian. Brian?' - said Polly.

'Yo dude!' - said Oz, waving his hand in front of Brian's face. The zombie asked what was it.

'Polly here called you and you didn't even listen. What's up?'

Brian showed them his phone's screen. He was watching the news.

'Ugh. Boring.' - Polly murmured.

'You should really check this out.' - Brian insisted.

The three of them watched it. Scenes of a huge abandoned building located in a remote side of New York were shown. Apparently it hadn't been abandoned at all. An old man in his fifties accompanied by a man and a woman had been evacuated from it, partially covered in thick black ink.

'The man called **Henry** was a former illustrator for **Joey Drew Studios** , an old cartoon company which was founded by Joey Drew sometime after 1929's Great Depression and went bankrupt in 1978. Henry had been in a partnership with Mr Drew for five solid years before he quit his job prior to rumors of employees having all mysteriously gone missing. Thirty years passed since the last time he had visited the studio when Henry claims he received a short letter from his partner inviting him to visit once again.'

The letter was displayed and in it, the three of them could read the message Joey had sent Henry.

'According to the letter' - continued the news host – 'Mr Drew wanted to show something to his old partner. Turns out the surprise was a building full of horrors animated by a mysterious device called an **ink machine**. That's right, you didn't hear it wrong. It seems Joey Drew had a machine powered by ink installed in his studio, a machine connected to a complex number of ink pipes that occupied over twenty floors of that building.'

The letter faded to show several humans covered in ink being helped out of the building. Many looked starved and traumatized. Some could barely walk and collapsed on the floor.

A reporter who was on the rescue site gave more details.

'The police will now conduct a search inside the building to search for more survivors. Mr Henry insisted with the officers they should search for the ink machine first. He was highly agitated and refused to calm down. One of the doctors ordered he be held down and gave him a sedative. According to the doctor, Mr Henry is suffering from PTSD. His experience in the building may have caused him to hallucinate.'

'What about all the ink covering these people, Ted? Any information on where it came from?' - the news anchor asked.

'Not yet, Bob. Authorities are still investigating.'

The news ended and Brian turned his phone back to him. The other three didn't know what to say.

'Sounds like dark magic to me.' - Oz remarked.

'Hogwash.' said Polly.

'You don't know that. Humans have occasionally turned to dark magic to solve their problems. Especially those related to money, or the lack thereof.' - Oz pressed on.

'Oz has a point.' - Miranda said.

'What, seriously? C'mon people, this is obviously a publicity stunt! This Henry whatmacallit is trying to get some attention to himself by telling some far-fetched horror tale. He wants to capitalise on that.' - Polly exclaimed.

'I guess that makes sense, too. Dad says humans do that all the time. It's good for business.' - Miranda said.

At the mention of the word **business** , Vera started paying attention to their talk. She was in another queue with Liam, Vicky, Amira and Damien, a few meters away from the group.

'That was not a publicity stunt. The workers did disappear thirty years ago. So did Joey Drew.' - Brian said, sternly.

'How do you know about this?' - Polly questioned.

'My dad worked there. One day, he didn't come home. No one at the studio bothered to explain what happened. Shortly after he disappeared, mom drank herself to death. We couldn't afford to pay the bills.'

The three went silent at this statement. They all knew about Brian's death. Not so much about his family's tragedy.

'Exams are about to begin. Please take your seats.' -said one of the teachers.

 

* * *

 

**On that evening...**

 

Exams were finally over. Vera was chilling with Liam outdoors when she saw Vicky notice them. She pretended she had received a call and excused herself.

As soon as Vicky walked over to Liam, the vampire's mood changed drastically. His permanent frown had relaxed into a smile.

'Come to know how I answered the question on Victor Hugo?' -he asked.

'Overly praised French author of the Romantic literary movement? Wrote standard novels with stereotypical characters and predictable plots for the low burgeoisie? Comparable to the contemporary commercial, accessible literature of today, such as JK Rowling and Nicholas Sparks?'

'Huh. You know me too well.' - he said, getting close and planting a kiss on her cheek. She blushed intensely at the gesture, but otherwise pretended her heart wasn't beating so strongly it was about to shoot out of her chest.

'You seen to be in an excellent mood tonight.' -she noticed. He didn't even realise he was smiling.

'How could I not? It's the end of term. I'll finally have time to attend all the art exhibits and music festivals I missed. And I just read on Abramovic's twitter she'll open a special exhibition in that very exclusive night club I've been meaning to visit ever since one of my Instagram followers tipped me about it.'

'Really? Which club?' - she asked nonchalantly.

'*' he replied. 'Do you want to go there with me? Maybe next Saturday?'

She said 'of course' and took a sip of her beer, pretending she had no idea who was that follower who suggested the club to him in the first place. Having fake online accounts had more uses than just posting fanfiction and browsing 4chan.

At some distance, Miranda noticed how the vampire never stopped smiling when he was with Vicky and the thought filled her heart with rainbows. Meanwhile, Oz was flashing some sick moves on the dance floor. Now and then he checked whether she was still watching him. He was obviously trying hard to impress her.

'Cool party, huh?' said Brian.

'Yeah! I'm having so much fun!' - she squeaked.

The zombie looked from her to Oz and then at her again. 'No kidding.'

Miranda realised what he meant and blushed. 'Uh, I-I don't know what you're thinking, but...Oz and I are just f-friends.'

'No need to be shy. I actually think you two look like a cute couple.' -he winked at her. She smiled.

Amira approached them looking concerned. 'Hey guys, have you seen Polly? She was supposed to come to the party and meet me. I haven't seen her ever since the exams were over.'

They looked at each other and shook their heads. Amira asked other people, but no one had seen the poltergheist. She was beginning to worry. The music changed to a slow rhythm and Oz joined Miranda and Brian. Soon enough, Liam and Vicky came over with Amira.

'What's the matter?'

'Polina is nowhere to be found.' -said Liam.

'What?' - said Miranda.

'Didn't she take the History exam with you, Brian?' -asked Vicky.

'Nah. I was in Room A. She was in Room B.'

'Who was in Room B?'

'I was.' -said someone from behind them.

The group turned to look at the shopkeeper, Valerie.

'Polly asked to use the bathroom in the middle of the exam. I overheard her talking to Scott and Damien earlier that day on ideas for a prank. She wanted to surprise everyone and end our final year in school with a bang.'

'It's been eight hours since exams ended. How long would it take for this prank to be ready?' -Brian asked.

Valerie just shrugged. She didn't know the details of it. The group decided to go looking for Damien and Scott. The werewolf was seen at the party having fun with the wolfpack.

'Let me talk to them.' Brian said, asking the others to wait. Werewolves were naturally aggressive. Drunken werewolves, even more so. And full moon was only a night away. 'Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt. I just need to ask Scott if he has seen Polly.'

The wolfpack parted to reveal one drunken Scott asleep, sprawled on top of a table. His t-shirt and pants were nowhere to be seen. His arms and legs were spread wide open, revealing his bulbus underwear.

Brian wrinkled his face at the scene. He wasn't in the mood to get near a practically naked wolf man. Even so, he had to ask.

'Yo, Scott. Scott. Scott! SCOTT!!!'

Scott snorted and woke up, startled. Brian apologised for disturbing his sleep and repeated the question. Scott merely shook his head and went back to snoring.

'That leaves Damien. Let's go looking for him.' -said Brian.

'No need. Here he comes.' -said Liam, pointing at a red-skinned distant figure running away from the bathroom.

The group was about to meet him when he screamed 'No' at the top of his lungs. A look of pure horror was etched on his features.

 **'RUN! FUCKING RUN! GET AWAY! GET THE FUCK AWAY!!! SHE'S COMING!!!** '

Liam remained right where he was, hands on his hips and a look of pure skepticism, refusing to move.

'Alright. I don't know what is going on, but this isn't either funny, nor -'

Damien didn't wait for him to finish and punched him in the face. The others looked at him in shock. He then grabbed the vampire's body and flung him over his shoulders, yelling once again for them to run. They didn't know what had gotten into him.

**'WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE, FUCKTARDS? GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE BATHROOM! SHE'S COMING!!!'**

'Hold on. What the fuck is coming?' - asked Amira.

Damien just stared back at them with a look of pure exasperation when they heard a slow heartbeat coming from afar. The air was moist with an unknown substance and dark drops fell from the sky. Soon enough, they had nearly flooded the grass on the school's grounds. The noises of the party soon died out

Amira let a small puddle of dark liquid form on her palm and smelled it. It had a strong smell of ink. 'What the heck is this? Damien, what's going on? What were you and Polly doing in that bathroom?'

'Fuck, fuck fuck, fuck fuck.' - murmured Damien, not knowing what to do. His friends refused to move and no one in school knew the creature was coming.

'There! What's that? Is that Polly?' - Miranda pointed to a figure leaving the bathroom.

The person moved slowly, as if it were dragging its feet. It was shaped like a young woman and had a distinct ponytail. She was completely covered in black. Spirals of black ink emitted from her body and filled the air. Just watching her move was eerie enough.

Miranda thought of walking over to her to take a closer look, but Damien held her by the arm. 'Are you crazy?'

'But that looks like Polly! Why is she covered in ink?' - asked Miranda.

Oz's pets were trembling, hidden inside his clothes. Oz himself wasn't feeling well at all. Whatever that creature was, it struck a deep chord inside him. And being the embodiment of fear, that was never a good sign.

'Uh, guys? We have to leave. NOW.'

The group decided to go back to school, but Polly had already seen them. She started running toward them at full speed. Something about the way she ran didn't feel right. They also noticed she wore a sick, sinister smile.

 **'GAAAH RUN!!! RUN YOU FUCKING CUNTS! RUN!!!'** Damien screamed, runing ahead of the group and yelling at passersby to flee.

They ended up hiding inside the school. The student body didn't know what was going on. Thick black drops fell from the sky. Meanwhile, they could hear shouting from the grounds. From the library's windows they could see Polly, now turned into some sort of ink monster, viciously attacking her former classmates. They watched, horrified, as one by one she mutilated them, tearing limbs and heads effortlessly.

Once she was done, the teachers blocked all doors with furniture. No one was allowed to leave the school until they called the authorities to ascertain what the fuck was that monstrosity outside. Locked in the Library, the group had no choice but to barricade themselves with a collection of powerful spells and hope the monster police arrived to take care of...whatever magic or spell Polly was under. 

'It won't work. We're all gonna die in here.' - Damien murmured, sweating profusely.

The others turned to look at him. The demon owed them an explanation. What had happened to Polly?


	2. Nowhere to Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surrounded by an angry mob (a.k.a. his classmates), Damien has some serious explaining to do. He'd better hurry, though. The ink monster is very close to finding them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- A warm thank you to all the people who left kudos and commented on the first chapter. Feel my love travel across vast extensions of space until it reaches you. ❤
> 
> \- Since BATIM is used as the background for the plot, the story will continue having an underlying air of suspense and terror, with interactions between characters having the same levity and comedy of Monster Prom (except when there's some serious shit going on).

 

 

 

The air in the library was thick with tension. All of his classmates stared at the demon in utter silence. The only thing that broke the stillness were the constant screams of students being hunted down and dismembered by Polly outside.

Damien felt his throat dry. He had no idea how to confess what had happened to Polly without making it sound as though he was guilty of her transformation into an ink monstrosity.

He heard moans come from behind him and felt Liam stir. The vampire had finally regained consciousness. Relieved for having something to do to draw all that attention from himself, Damien carefully removed his classmate from his right shoulder and placed him on a chair.

Liam's face was purple and swollen where the demon had punched him. Vicky immediately began tending to his wound. The vampire motioned his hand to his face to feel how serious the injury was.

'Don't touch it. A couple of healing spells will take care of it.' Vicky said, earning an affectionate look from Liam. The concerned girfriend was the biggest cliché of all, but one he secretly enjoyed. Or not so secretly.

At this point, the entire school was aware of Liam and Vicky's blossoming relationship. To his surprise, his annoyance at having to hear his classmates tell him he was finally going to drop his “pseudo-intellectual-virgin-hipster act” and behave like a normal person now that he was in a relationship turned out not to be as annoying as he thought it would be.

Although, that did made him ponder on the stupidity of the masses. As if gazing at society's inherent ugliness and imperfection through a critical eye was something only virgins in urgent need of sex did. Why, he had been in bed with so many people and been to so many orgies in his abnormally long life there was no fetish or sexual position he didn't know. But apparently, a man wearing a bun and dressing in retro style could be reduced to “twenty-year old virgin who still wore his grandmother's clothes”.

But none of that mattered at the moment. All attention was turned to Damien. And for good reason. Liam gave the demon quite the stern look as he turned to him.

'I hope you have a good explanation as to what happened to our dear friend Polina and why she tried to murder us after stepping out of that bathroom. Not to mention that gruesome, thick layer of black ink that's covered her head-to-foot.'

Everyone was impressed with the dead serious tone he used to adress Damien. Sometimes people forgot Liam wasn't a teenager anymore. This was not Liam, the nonchalant hipster talking idly about social justice, predictable trends, social stereotypes and other things he liked to criticize about society in general. This was Liam, the four-hundred year old vampire who had just lost a lifelong friendship with someone dear to some dark magical horror born out of sheer irresponsibility by a young male demon driven by lust with nothing but dick-for-brains and a humoungous inflated ego.

'What the fuck, man...you're looking at me as if I had done this to her on purpose! Shit, I wasn't even the one who had the idea of messing around that old cartoon studio. She did!' said the demon.

Damien was having trouble knowing where (and how) to start. He took a deep breath and told of how Polly had returned from a trip to the very studio she had heard of when Brian discussed the news with her.

'When did this happen?' Brian asked.

'Shortly after exams started. Polly doesn't have to take exams because, well-'

'She's no longer a living, breathing student, of course. She's the school's poltergheist.' the zombie complemented.

Damien half-expected Liam to interject with a nagging comment, such as that Polina shouldn't use her post-mortem condition as an excuse to be careless with her studies, but the vampire remained dead serious, gazing at him over the rim of his glasses. Liam never passed an opportunity to be vocal about his contrary opinions. Man, he must've been extremely pissed.

'Anyway, ghosts can travel at the speed of thought. So Polly told me she literally teleported herself to that cartoon studio, the uh-'

'Joey Drew Studios.' Brian reminded him.

'Yeah, that one. And she roamed around about an hour or two until she found this machine on the bottom level.'

'She went to that studio after that... “ink machine”? Is that how they called it on the news?' Amira asked.

'Yes, they did.' Brian said.

'Yeah. I mean, that was partly the reason. The other reason was, well...to find evidence of what happened to your dad, Brian.'

The zombie didn't expect to hear that. Polly and he rarely got along. Brian was just “too serious” for her. But for the carefree poltergheist to actually go after information about his family...he didn't know what to say.

'Get to the point, Damien.' Liam warned, with little patience.

The demon struggled to tell the rest of the story.

'Polly said she saw the bodies of fully-fleshed cartoon characters lying in almost every floor. It was some creepy shit. This meant that the rumors about the machine were true; or so she thought. She then had the idea of bringing this machine to school and testing it rather than leaving it for that human to use it all for himself. You know, to play a prank on her schoolmates. Make murderous cartoons appear out of nowhere and creep the fuck out of people.'

'Yeah. Sounds like loads of fun.' Brian said in a dead voice.

'Whatever. She used her knowledge of paranormal ghost powers to teleport the ink machine to the school grounds. She told me she placed it just outside the bathroom, out of sight and then texted me during my exam to go check on the machine. Apparently, she needed help turning that fucking thing on.'

'And Polly had that idea all on her own? You didn't suggest she bring that thing here?' Liam questioned.

'No. I didn't, alright? Why the fuck would I suggest she brought a cursed machine to school that turns you into the creepy cartoon version of Terminator?'

'Oh, I don't know, Damien. It's not unlike you to feel attracted to dangerous, potentially murderous things and then endangering the entire school body just to satisfy your need for mischief and chaos. And happening to drag Polly along in your adventures is something you're quite proficient at. Especially since she doesn't give a damn about the consequences of her actions. You know, with her being dead and all.' the vampire retorted.

The head of a reptilian student smashed against the glass of the library window and landed a few meters below, leaving a bloody spot where it hit. How the head went flying from the grounds to the second floor, they had no idea. Polly had to be either extremely strong or she had done that on purpose. Could she have figured out their hiding place?

'Guys, stop! We need to figure out what that machine did to Polly before she finds us! And most importantly, find a way to reverse...whatever magic spell has taken hold of her!' Oz interjected.

'Just tell us, Damien: what the fuck did that machine do to my girlfriend?' Amira exclaimed.

The demon found it hard to stare at Amira in the eye. He had witnessed the two of them getting close over the last year. Amira was quite popular, so their romance was the topic of almost everyone's conversation when they started dating. To know that he was responsible for bringing such harm on her girlfriend was difficult.

'How the fuck should I know? She was the one who was eager to turn that thing on! Even with all the crazy whispering she heard!'

'What whispering?' asked Liam.

'Polly said she “sensed something funny” while she was in the studio. There were these weird statues raised in homage to a cartoon character in almost every hallway. Everytime she passed near one of them, she heard voices. Probably from the deceased employees. Words and sentences spoken backwards, all entangled in a well of buzzing whispers. Even as a ghost, she confessed to me this gave her the creeps. _Something was not right in that studio._ '

Damien then told them how he dashed from the classroom after having set his exam sheets on fire to join Polly in turning on the machine. He was anxious to know what it could do. Like a child who wins a new toy. Whatever creepy magic that came out of it, he thought, was no match for his awesome demonic powers. Boy, was he wrong.

'A poltergheist just warns you of a potential dangerous spiritual power at work and you blatantly ignore it? Just to have fun?' Liam questioned.

'Hey, Scott was in on the prank as well! He was the one who kept people away from the bathroom so we could bring in the machine without the teachers knowing.' Damien replied, defensively.

But Liam was having none of that shit. His stern look now barely camouflaged his seething rage.

' **Are you brain dead? Is this all a joke to you**? What is the first rule, the ONLY rule monsters do not break? DO NOT MESS WITH MAGIC FUELLED BY SOUL POWER, aka DARK MAGIC. And hearing the voices of the deceased in a studio with a magical device that creates life out of entrapped souls classifies under that category.' he warned, eyes flashing.

'Why the fuck not? Don't we drink human souls? Isn't that the same thing?' Damien exclaimed.

'No, you illiterate moronic demon. IT ISN'T. How many times have the teachers repeated in class the goddamn diference between consuming souls as a source of nourishment and using them to fuel spells?There's nothing magical in the act of drinking a human soul. But if you encapsulate that soul in a recipient and then USE that soul's residual life energy to launch a magic attack or create portals, preventing it from ever earning its rightful rest in afterlife, then YES, you're performing dark magic as per its definition.' Liam said, eyes now ablaze.

'I don't get it. What's gonna happen if I use it?' Damien asked.

'I can't believe you just asked that. What do you THINK will happen? Preventing a soul from following its natural course violates the laws of nature. You're essentially corrupting your soul to the most basic level. The longer the magic lasts, the worse the damage to the fabric of reality. Until the barier between spiritual and physical planes is undone and your essence shatters into a million pieces. You become a physical and spiritual zombie, with no soul, no thoughts, no feelings. Just a wondering cadaver with no hopes of ever becoming a person again who preys on the innocent in the hopes of feeding of another one's spiritual energy. WHICH IS WHY WE NEVER USE HUMAN SOULS TO FUEL SPELLS. IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH NOW?'

Damien had never seen Liam so angry.

'Damn it. Alright, alright, I got it. Just chill the fuck out.'

The room went silent again. This was the most basic notion a monster could learn in school. The fact that Damien completely ignored it only made matters worse.

'Anyway...the teachers eventually called me back and we had a meeting. The principal was there. They showed him the burnt exam papers. Then he gave me detention for a month. Basically I suggested he go fuck himself and rushed back to the bathroom. By the time I got there, I found the place all covered in ink, pulsating with some unknown dark magic...and Polly already turned into that dark creature with her back turned to me, strangling a gorgon to death. ' Damien finished explaining.

Liam's mind immediately jumped to Vera. He was already contemplating her death when his phone began to rumble in his pocket. His fear receeded a bit when he saw it was a call from her. Thank the gods she was still alive.

'Vera, where are you? Please don't tell me you're on your way back to the school now.'

'I received a call from Valerie. She told me what went on. I don't understand the details yet, but we can discuss them later. I just left from a meeting with the CEOs of some corporations and am on my way home. Where are you? Are you safe?'

Liam's eyes traveled to his classmates and he had an idea.

'We're trapped in the Library. Polina – or whatever she's become – is still outside, hunting the grounds for sport. Is there any way we can go to your house and take shelter?'

Vera hesitated for a beat and then agreed to welcome them. Liam thanked her.

'I'll send a car to pick you up in a safe spot.'

'Better make it a van. There are at least eight of us here.'

'Wait. Where's Scott?' - Miranda asked.

'And the wolfpack?' Brian chimed in.

'Last time you spoke to them, Brian, weren't they drunk at the party?' Vicky asked.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances. They didn't want to think of what had happened to the werewolves once Polly had finally found them.

Liam opened a map of the school in his phone and started looking for the shortest and safest routes for the group to take. Once they had settled in a specific trajectory, Liam texted Vera as to where her van should await them.

Some of them were eager to go now, but Vicky asked them to wait. 'How long will it take for Vera's van to arrive at the school?'

Liam read the gorgon's texted answer: thirty minutes, at least. They couldn't wait that long. Polly could make her way to the school and begin another killing spree. All she had to do was follow the desperate students who fled to the building.

'What are we going to do?' Amira said in a hoarse tone.

Before any of them could think of an answer, they began to hear a low heartbeat from afar. The air around them felt moist and the lights flickered and dimmed.

'Oh, no. It knows we're h-'

Oz covered Miranda's mouth and shushed her. This was no time for panic. They had to be dead quiet.

The group slowly got away from the door. They had to leave by the emergency staircase just outside the window. The problem is that the window was on the other side of the library. They hoped Polly would take some time to open that door, thus giving time for the eight students to descend the stairs.

The ink that fell from the ceiling formed puddles on the ground. A seeker spawned from one of them, startling the monsters. And then another. And another. And another.

Amira used her fire magic to keep them at bay. The seeker didn't seem to feel any pain as the ink boiled and burned and just kept coming at her. Fighting by her side, Brian had to punch it several times to keep it from lunging its arms at both of them.

More seekers spawned around the group. Vicky powered up her muscles by using a spare battery. She would defend Liam, no matter what. Oz ordered his pets to grow ten times their size and encircle both him and Miranda. The gigantic shadowy worms now growled at the seekers who dared come close, occasionally lunging at them. Damien would kick and set fire to anything that dared approach him while shouting colourful profanities under his breath.

Despite their efforts, soon enough, the group was surrounded. The path to the window was blocked.

'There are too many of them! We can't keep going forever like this!' Amira said under her breath, sweating profusely.

Damien was freaking out. What had he gotten his classmates into? Only a week to prom and an idiotic prank had gotten most people he grew up with savagely butchered or downright beheaded. And now that nightmare threatened to end their lives in a matter of minutes. Congratulations, Damien LaVey. Your last brillliant idea managed to beat single-handedly the record of the entire string of stupid ass decisions you managed to make in one very short lifetime.

For the first time in his life, he regretted his actions. And in that one moment, he had an epiphany. He thanked whatever stars blessed him with that glorious idea and proceeded to do the only thing he could think of in an emergency like this.

With a simple gesture, the demon produced eight huge red pentagrams. The strong light emanating from them illuminated the books shelves with a strong reddish hue. Cries and screams of tortured creatures erupted from the portals as something threatened to emerge from what seemed to be the depths of hell itself.

Liam immediately figured out the demon's idea and mentally praised him for his dilligence, but was alarmed at the loud shrieks and screams filling the room. This would only further provoke Polly and draw her to the Library.

The shadows of gigantic horned winged creatures rose in the walls and the most ugly, evil-looking horde of demonic soldiers materialised from the pentagrams. One by one, the seekers feel to the axes of the loyal troops commanded by the prince of Hell.

The slaughter managed to open a path toward the window. But their actions had been utlimately futile. Miranda let out a long piercing scream as she witnessed Polly emerging from an ink stain that spread through the entire door of the Library. Once the poltergheist saw them there, she immediately started chasing after them.

The group screamed as the demonic hordes did what they could to block Polly's progress. But just as the seekers had been mercilessly butchered, Polly managed to strangle and murder each and every one of them with a single swift motion from her hands. As Damien's army fell in battle, they witnessed how the ink terror couldn't be harmed by any weapon.

'What the fuck? They hit her! I saw them hit her. **What IS that ink made of**?' Amira cried, falling in despair.

Miranda started crying and sobbing out loud. Her crying only made the others give in to the panic rising inside of them. They bolted to the window in a last attempt to save themselves, but to no use. Polly was coming for them.

The only one not moving as Polly advanced was Damien.

'Why is he just standing there?' Vicky asked in a shaky voice.

'Damien! What do you think you're you doing???' Brian yelled.

Polly's hands was inches away from touching his face when...

Damien made a single gesture in mid air. A great surge of energy encapsulated them for a fraction of a second and a red light blinded the group. They felt their bodies landing with force on a rocky ground. The fall seemed to have broken every bone of their bodies. They protested in pain as they tried to get up. What had just happened?

Amira looked around and immediately recognised the new place. This was where all fire spirits were born. She let out a relieved breath. Despite Damien's many shortcomings, he had managed to bring her to the safest place she knew.

Liam helped Vicky get up and they both stared at their surroundings. The place felt as hot as a sauna and the landscape looked abysmal. A long river that slithered between two mountains had a sickly yellowish tinge which resembled human vomit. The others were recovering from the fall as he slowly realised what Damien had done. A monumental archway could be seen only a few meters from where they had fallen. Liam could read an old inscription in Latin on its top:

**Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here**

The vampire was surprised. For the first time in his life, the demon had actually had a clever idea and done something worthwhile.

'Welcome home!' Damien wished them, hands on his hips and a confident smile plastered on his face as he stood proudly in front of the archway. 'Or as humans simply call it...

 

**Hell**

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- In Monster Prom, Damien and Liam are competitive and always trying to prove they're better than the other. I wanted to reflect their relationship in the story. But instead of their usual juvenile banter, they end up having a real argument because, from the two of them, Liam is the eldest and naturally feels responsible for his classmates. For him, a friend to seriously endanger another one's life because of a stupid prank is just unforgivable.
> 
> \- The idea of dark magic being forbidden was an idea of mine to tie in with the universe of BatIM. I suspect the ink machine doesn't allow the former employees to die. When they do die, they become ink and are reborn. Thus their souls are trapped in the ink forever.
> 
> \- In the next chapter, we'll finally meet Damien's parents.

**Author's Note:**

> \- This is a work in progress. I usually publish a chapter only after I've written at least 2 in advance. That way, I can anticipate the plot in the long term and avoid inconsistencies.
> 
> \- The story won't focus solely on one character, like Liam or Damien. All characters and couples will share special moments. I just happen to have a preference for Liam because...reasons. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> \- Yes, Henry will appear in the story. Around Chapter 4 or 5, I think. Please be patient and you'll have a nice surprise. I have plenty of ideas for him.


End file.
